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1
Grind the Meats Ice-Cold
15 Mins
Cold, below 4°C (40°F)
Put the grinder parts, the mixing bowl and the cubed veal, pork and back fat in the freezer for 30 minutes. Grind the meats and fat together through the fine plate into the cold bowl, keeping everything as cold as you can.
Grind the fat with the meat, not separately — it blends into the emulsion instead of sitting in greasy pockets.
Done when: A fine, even mince, still cold to the touch.
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2
Emulsify with Milk & Spices
10 Mins
Cold, below 4°C (40°F)
Add the cold milk, ice water, 6 g of the salt, white pepper, mace, nutmeg, cardamom and lemon zest to the mince. Mix with your hands or a paddle for 3–4 minutes until the mixture turns pale, smooth and sticky, and holds together when you lift a handful.
The mixture is ready when it pulls away from the bowl in one piece — under-mixing gives a crumbly sausage.
Done when: A pale, sticky paste that holds its shape in your hand.
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3
Stuff & Link the Sausages
15 Mins
Cold, below 4°C (40°F)
Rinse the soaked casings and slide one onto the stuffer nozzle. Fill steadily, without forcing, until the casing is full but not tight, then twist into 4 links of about 130 g each. Prick any air bubbles with a clean pin.
A loosely filled casing shrinks and wrinkles; an overfilled one bursts in the poaching water — aim for firm, not drum-tight.
Done when: 4 even, plump links with no air pockets.
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4
Poach Gently
15 Mins
Water 80°C (175°F); core 71°C (160°F)
Bring a large pan of water to 80°C (175°F) — steaming, not boiling — and lower the sausages in. Poach gently for 15 minutes until the centre of the thickest sausage reads 71°C (160°F) on a thermometer. Lift out and pat dry.
Boiling water bursts casings and makes the sausage mealy — keep the water at a bare shimmer, never a rolling boil.
Done when: Firm sausages, pale and even, 71°C (160°F) at the centre.
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5
Grill the Sausages & Fry the Rösti
20 Mins
Medium heat, about 180°C (350°F)
While the sausages poach, mix the grated potato with the remaining 2 g of salt and shape into 4 flat cakes. Melt 20 g of the butter in a large pan over medium heat and fry the rösti for 8–10 minutes per side until deep golden and crisp. In a second pan, grill the poached sausages over medium heat for 8–10 minutes, turning often, until golden with grill marks.
Press the rösti down once and leave it alone — moving it stops the crust from forming.
Done when: Rösti crisp and golden on both sides; sausages evenly browned.
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6
Make the Onion Sauce
10 Mins
Medium heat
Melt the remaining 15 g of butter in a small pan, sweat the onion rings for 5 minutes until soft, then stir in the flour and tomato purée and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the wine and stock, stir until smooth, and simmer for 5 minutes until glossy and just thick enough to coat a spoon. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the wine first and let it bubble for a minute — it cooks off the alcohol and lifts the browned bits from the pan.
Done when: A glossy sauce that coats the back of a spoon.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Rest the sausages for 2 minutes, then serve each one with a spoonful of onion sauce and a wedge of rösti — no mustard on the table.
Switzerland
40m
